


Until Midnight

by muscatmusic18



Series: December Prompts [18]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Angst, December Prompt Challenge, F/M, Missed Windows, Post-Season/Series 01, Pre-Season/Series 02, Singing, lots of singing, pre-Peggysous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-19
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-09 18:12:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8906779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muscatmusic18/pseuds/muscatmusic18
Summary: What would have happened if they acknowledged their missed windows.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to irisdouglasiana for this prompt idea.

Christmas Eve, and of course she was stuck on the night shift.

Granted, while it wasn’t fun to be there all night, the rest of the agents had families to go home to, and since he had no one, she was the best choice. Plus, Daniel would be there as well, so at least she could suffer with someone she could tolerate.

Or, perhaps liked. 

He’d asked her out on a drink, and while she had to take a raincheck, Peggy really was looking forward to their date. It may have taken a while, but after some late nights mulling over the idea, she came to the conclusion that she liked Daniel, possibly more than as just a friend.

But instead, he took a job on the other side of the county and never followed up on his offer. Was she happy for him? Of course, no one more deserved a promotion than him, but why must he leave before they try a relationship out? Who knows what could’ve happened.

So, on Christmas Eve night, they had to make it to midnight until they could home. Six hours alone, six hours to see what went wrong, and to see if maybe something could happen.

Six o’clock on the dot, the last agent left, nodding to Sousa and Carter as the elevator door closed behind him, leaving them to run the place.

“So, takeout for dinner on this fine evening?” He asked, shrugging on his coat and picking up his crutch.

“If you can make it out there, the snow is coming down hard.” She leaned against the window, pulling the slats down to watch the flakes fall 

“I’m just going to the little place down the street, it’ll only take about twenty minutes.”

“Would you like some company? Nothing’s going to happen here.”

He turned to her, giving her a smile. “If you don’t mind going out in the storm, then I’d love your company.”

She threw on her coat, throwing him a coy smile. “Was that a reference to the song?”

“You know it?”

“Oh the weather outside is frightful,” she sang, buttoning her coat, “but the fire is so delightful. And since we’ve no place to go, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” She paused, walking over to where he was standing in the middle of the bullpen. “I may be from another country, but I’m not uncultured.”

He only laughed, offering her his arm, pleased by her smile, but even more pleased when she took up his offer.

“If it counts for anything, you have a lovely voice.” He said, glancing down at the floor in embarrassment, but he still managed to catch her flattered smile.

“My mother would disagree, but thank you for the compliment.”

The rest of their journey was just small talk, the stop into the warm restaurant all to quick before they had to venture back out into the cold, yet while their bodies were cold, their hearts and smiles were warm. But, the streets were not, and when Daniel’s crutch hit a spot of ice, he lost his balance, but luckily Peggy was there, catching him before he could topple to the ground.

They stood, chest to chest, her arms gripping his as their eyes met, breath mingling in the small space between them.

“Thanks.” He exhaled, eyes flitting to her lips before back up, trying to keep the professional distance between them.

Peggy cleared her throat, stepping back from him. “I wouldn’t want you to fall. You have the food, after all.”

He chuckled, overjoyed when she took his arm again for the short distance back to the bullpen, awkwardness gone from their encounter.

As with most night shifts, nothing eventful came even came close to happening, which turned out to be for the best. In between bites of their spread, there was conversation and laughter, stories of their past that left them both with tears of laughter streaming down their face and their ribs aching.

At some point the radio was turned on, and they sang their way through classic holiday carols, ending with a duet of ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’, finding surprisingly enough that their voice blended together quite nicely, and vowing to sing together later on.

This is what it should be like, she thought. Not the awkward dance they’ve been playing with, but this. Laughter, singing, joy, and having fun together, not with one of them moving away in a few weeks. Why must it be this way, when she’d finally found a match, she lost him, just like all the other times before.

“This will be our last Christmas together.” She said, suddenly more interested in her container of food.

“Unless you come with me.”

Shocked, she looked up. He hadn’t offered that before, but now… It could solve everything. They could get their drink, they could have their happily ever after. All she had to do was say yes.

“I… Don’t think I can.”

“Why not? Sun everyday, warm weather, what could be better? Just transfer to my office, I could use agents like you.” He reasoned, giving her a smile.

“It’s just that I’ve finally made a home here. It took me so long to get used to New York, and I was alone for so long. If I moved, I’d be alone once again.”

It was silent for a beat. “You’d have me.”

Him. Daniel Sousa, her saving grace of the SSR. If only she could. “I think we missed our window, Daniel.”

Somehow, they’d gotten closer, their knees almost touching as they sat. “Did we?”

“You’re leaving, I’m staying. How can it work?” She felt surprisingly close to tears.

A beat. “I wish we hadn’t of missed it. We could’ve had something good.”

They were closer still, lips mere inches from each other. “Something great.”

They met in the middle, kissing softly at first, but it soon became heated, hands drifting down and under shirts until they need air, chests heaving as their eyes met once again. Time seemed to stop, eyes locked, no one willing to look away.

“Maybe we’ll have another window. In a few months, if I transfer.” She breathed, hands still grazing the bare skin of his torso.

“I hope so.”

Suddenly the clock chimed, breaking the magic that had woven itself around them.

“Midnight. Merry Christmas, Peg.” He smiled at her, the same one she’d seen so often, but tonight, it seemed different; darker, yet more loving.

“Merry Christmas, Daniel.”

Their lips met again as they shared just one lingering kiss, leaving nothing to the imagination of what could have happened, yet saying goodbye all at the same time.

Before long they were parting ways on the street, both heading opposite directions towards home. Watching him go, she let the tears fall.

She had until midnight to see what went wrong. Not only had she found that, but she’d figured out how to fix it, and yet here she was, alone on the street as the snow came down.

Until midnight.

**Author's Note:**

> Let It Snow was published in 1945, so it's relatively new when this takes place.  
> Also, I figured Peggy had to hear Daniel's singing voice from somewhere, so that's why there's so much singing.


End file.
